This invention addresses the needs of property owners and managers for surface covering materials to meet the following criteria: they must comply with applicable laws, such as Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), they must address safety, limit liability, be easily installed and maintained, be pleasing to the eye, and be within the budget with predictable life cycle costs.
For traffic surfaces, a multitude of material options are available, and currently in use. For example, a floor surface may be protected with something as simple as a paint coating, or as sophisticated as a manufactured tread. Other alternatives include specialized carpets, roll-up mats, anti-slip tapes, floor tiles, and rubber or vinyl mats.
For vertical surfaces subject to damage from impact or abuse, multiple products are also available and in use. Examples include specially manufactured panels, bumper guards, crash rails, chair rails, handrails, carpet, corner guards, and special sheet materials. Materials used to create these products include metals, plastics, wood, fiber, etc. Some of the products combine two or more materials.
Prior art surface coverings have limited success in meeting the criteria discussed above. For example, coatings can be difficult to install and maintain. Their decorative appeal, limited to start with, degrades with time and wear. Carpet, while effective in many applications, is not well suited for high abuse traffic areas. This is especially true where the surface is subjected to elements such as the sun, water, chemicals, etc. Some specialty carpets have been developed for such areas, but they have limitations. These include excessive maintenance, stainability, and degradation from exposure to moisture and ultraviolet radiation. Custom designs in carpet are quite costly, and have been found to be lacking in their ability to withstand the abuse to which they are subjected.
Manufactured mats of various designs are available. They include roll-up units with metal or plastic rails, combined with tread surfaces of specially designed materials. Also included are grids, rubber, link, and vinyl mats. The roll-up mats are designed for cleanability, decorative appeal, safety, and ease of maintenance. Properly applied and maintained, they come close to meeting the criteria outlined above. However, they can be less than satisfactory in the following ways: they can warp, causing tripping hazards; they can lose parts of their filler, creating an unsightly safety hazard; they are difficult to manufacture in odd shapes or with custom inserts; and they require almost daily maintenance in high traffic areas.
Anti-slip tapes are used in some applications. They are generally regarded as a low-cost solution to a problem, but they lack visual appeal and fail to provide a long-term answer. Specialty tiles of varied materials are also found in high traffic areas. Each type tends to be made from one material, be it ceramic, rubber, vinyl, stone, etc. The use of tile addresses the decorative aspect, the wearability, and the ease of maintenance. Shortcomings include high cost, the need for skilled tradesmen to install it, possible safety concerns when moisture is present, and breakage under high pressure.
Prior art coverings for vertical surfaces are generally used to limit damage from abuse, while enhancing the appearance. The coverings may be flat or shaped. Flat coverings are designed to limit damage from impact by virtue of their physical properties. The flat materials currently used include wood, carpet, plastic laminate, fiberglass, vinyl acrylic, and special composition sheets. Materials are selected based on appearance, the type of abuse expected, fire codes, flame spread, smoke contribution, out-gassing (sick building syndrome), cost, ease of installation and maintenance, and factors unique to each type of property owner and manager. Flat coverings tend to be manufactured either in large panels or in rolls. Color palates and patterns are limited and subject to change due to trends in the marketplace. For example, plastic laminate, fiberglass, vinyl acrylic, and compositions all come in standard sizes, and many colors. They tend to be primary colors, and limited patterns are offered. When damaged panels must be replaced, dye lots and changing trends may limit the ability to obtain matching material. Carpet has found limited acceptance in this application, and is subject to similar problems if matching is needed. Wood is even less frequently used, except in areas where appearance is less important. Typically, wood is there to take the impact, and is expected to be less pleasing to the eye. Shaped coverings are used to either absorb an impact at a given height on the surface they cover, or to deflect the impact. Prior art in these applications includes, but is not limited to, bumper guards, crash rails, chair rails, handrails, and corner guards. Materials commonly used to create these shapes include, but are not limited to, metals, plastics, and wood. Some combine two or more of these materials. For example, prior art in bumper guards, crash rails, handrails, and corner guards combines a metal retainer with vinyl acrylic covers and end caps. On a well-designed application, these products, either alone or in combination, can be both protective to the surface behind, and pleasing to the eye.
In each of the foregoing prior art embodiments, some aspect of the stated criteria is not adequately addressed. For example, aesthetic features are quite limited on single component coverings. Additional design freedom can be achieved by combining two or more components. Prior art that has combined more than one component is limited. When custom features, such as logos or special graphics are achieved, they tend to be quite costly, and sometimes disappointing. Another example relates to how prior art embodiments meet the requirements of ADA law. Ramps and stairways, for example, are required to have tactile warning surfaces of specific design at each end. Prior art includes single component tiles designed to current standards. The standards are said to be likely to change (ADA documents on this item are currently being revised). A covering made from more than one material can meet current standards, while adding design features not possible in single component tiles. The component parts could also be easily altered to meet future code requirements.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a surface covering constructed of two or more components that can be easily and readily assembled with minimum time and labor. It is further desirable to provide a surface covering material that can easily and satisfactorily incorporate graphic designs, creating finished surfaces that are custom. It is also desirable to provide a surface covering that can be easily installed, even in situations where other covering cannot. Further, it is desirable to provide a surface covering that enhances safety by positively locking a textured, anti-slip material(s) over a surface that may otherwise become slippery when wet.